Liquid burning light



June 27, 1950 H. c. ARCHAMBEAU LIQUID BURNING LIGHT Filed Aug. 20, 1947R A K 5 Mr 5 mm? N Iv L H A m 5 Y. m V H Patented June 27, 1950 UNITED STATES ()FFH'IE' 2,512,885 I LIQUID BURNING LIGHT f Harry 0. Archarnbeau,Toledo, -l1-io- .ApplicationAugustZO, 1947', Serial No. 769,691

.1 Thisinvention relates to a liquid burning light and particularly to.a candle-like structure adapted to burn liquid fuel, suchas keroseneandthe like. I .It .is an object of this invention to produce a new andimproved device for producing light fromburnable liquids andhaving novelfeatures of construction, arrangement and operation providing forgreater safety, uniformburning, and adapted .for "conveyance fromplaceto place without .lossrof fluid or exposure to dangers Another object isto produce a liquid burning light which is non-breakable, strong, simplein construction and operation, andhas-the appearance of a candle in themounted position whether burning or not.

.Moreparticularly, it is an object of this invention to ,produce'anilluminating device .fabricated of. non-breakable materials with achamber for receiving a liquid fuel and having one or more additionalfeatures including a ventlfor neutralizing pressures within the chamber,insulating means protecting the materials from the heat of the flame, acover member for preventing the loss of burnable liquid or fumesfrompthe chamber and simulating a portion of the candle-like structurewhen in the mounted position, and means for adjusting the flame withoutextinguishing same.

These. and other objects and advantages of this invention willhereinafter appear and for purposes of illustration but noto'f'lim'itation, an embodiment of the invention is shown in theaccompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is .a sectional elevationalview ofv the device .shown in Figure 2, with the sealing-cap memberin-place;

Figure 2 is an elevational view of the liquid burning device shown inthe form like structure; and

Figure .3 is a sectional view taken alongthe line *3-'3-of Figure 1.

Referring now to the drawings, N] indicates a tubular casing having anilluminating chamber H open at one end where it is internally screwthreaded. The chamber serves as a container for burnable fluid l2, suchas the hydrocarbon oils and liquids derived from petroleum, coal andagricultural products, alcohol such as wood alcohol, and the like. Theouter wall l3 of the casing is inwardly tapered from the base I tosimulate the body portion of a candle, while the base portion I4 is alsotapered inwardly and seats in the well of a candelabra l5 or othersupporting base, For example, the casing may be positioned of a candle-,1 3 Claims; (01. (iv-s5) in a socket 'l 6 rigid with a ground'engaging'spike H, as illustrated in Figure 1' of the drawings; enablingthe illuminating deviceto' beusedoutdoors for various purposes.

The 'burnable liquid is introduced through the open end of the chamberwhich may be sealed by a closure 18 having an externall threaded shank19 depending from the 'curvilinearbody portion and adapted to bethreaded in the open endof the casing I'll. The "closure is providedwithja central opening 20through which'af'wick' 21 is threaded. Theinner portion of the wick extends substantiall 'through the chamber 'll'to contact the burnable liquid contained thereinand the outer end ofthe wick extends slightlybeyond the external face of the closure forpurposes. of ignition;

In the past, liquid burning devices havejbeen constructed of such fluidimpervious materials'as glass and metal. When glass is used; loss :oitenresults from mere impact and great .harm can result when suchdestruction. occurs while the device is ignited, for the. danger ofinitiating -a fire and endangering life and limb, is ever present. Metaloffers little improvementfor thehigh heat transfer of metallicsubstances present the danger of overheating the casing to the extentthat theburnable fluids are volatilized and forced fromithe chamber,andas such are. dangerous. Metallic material also requires constantcleaning and, with both metal and. glass, it is vdifficult to simulatethe waxy appearance of the ordinary candle. 1 i

important ,partof. this invention is directed to the. manufacture of thecasing and closure of plastic materials .of the thermosetting or.thermoplastic type. These materials, which may be selected. tobeimpervious to the contained liquid, are considered relativelynon-breakable and are characterized by low heat conductivity so that.the dangers-inherentof glass or metal are obviated. In addition, thematerials themselves are readily compounded for a predetermined color orappearance and readily formable to desired shapes.

However, these plastic materials are heat sensitive, that is they aredecomposed at elevated temperatures, and in order to protect the plasticmaterials from the heat of the flame, I provide a tubular heatinsulating member 22 which tightly fits into the central opening of theclosure, so as to be rigid therewith and receives the wick 2| which islongitudinally shiftable relative thereto. One end portion of thetubular member extends beyond the outer face of the closure and efieqwtively functions as a heat barrier. In specific application, the heatinsulating member may be formed of transite, an asbestos filledcompound, or other similar composition which in.

relatively non-volatile oil, disappearance of the liquid by burningcauses a vacuum within the V chamber. This prevents uniform movement ofthe liquid up the wick with the result that a flicking light isproduced, which is most disturbing. And then again, when a very volatileliquid is used, variations of pressure within the chamber results fromincreases and decreases in temperature.' I alleviate the variation ininternal pressures by providing a' vent, which may be in the form of anaperture 23 through the closure, for establishing communication betweenthe chamber and the outside atmosphere.

Further improvements result from the means for longitudinally adjustingthe wick without extinguishing the flame or handling the wick. For thispurpose, I provide an opening 24 extending laterallythrough the tubularinsulating member 22 and in axial alignment with the opening 23, throughthe closure. Through these aligned openings a tool, in the form of a pinor needle, may be inserted and moved to efiect longitudinal adjustingmovements of the wick relative to the insulating member.

I further provide a cap member 25 for use with the device when not inuse. The cap member is of conical construction, the open ended baseportion of which is adapted to seat on the annular flange 26 formedbetween the closure [8 and the casing I0. The outer wall of the capmember 25 is formed to be coextensive with the outer wall casing 13 soas to appear, when assembled, as a unitary candle-like structure. Acentral opening 21 in the upper end of the cap member 25 is providedwith a short length of wick 28 and when the cap is positioned the entireassembly gives the appearance of an ordinary non-burning candle. The capmember further functions to seal the vent 23 and the device so that theescape of fiunes or liquids from the chamber during periods of non-useis effectively prevented.

From the description, it is apparent that I have invented a liquidburning light which appears as a, candle and has the cardinal featuresof safety during the periods of use or non-use; means for equalizingpressure within the chamher so as to provide for uniform operation;means for'protecting the device from the effects of heat generated bythe flame; means for adjusting the wick without extinguishing the flame;and finally', means for sealing off the various openings in th'e'chambercontaining the burnable fluids so that the device maybe stored orcarried about 4 without the dangerous emission or loss of inflammablefumes or fluids.

It is to be understood that numerous changes in the details ofconstruction, arrangement and operation may be effected withoutdeparting from the spirit of the invention, especially as defined in thefollowing claims.

What I claim is:

1. A liquid burning light comprising a casing having a'cl'iamber thereinfor receivingthe burnable fluid, an apertured closure operativelyengaging said casing for sealing said chamber, said casing and closurebeing formed of plastic material and shaped to simulate a candle-likestructure, a wick extending through said aperture and into said chamber,a heat insulating member rigid with said closure and separating saidWick from said closure, aligned openings through said closure;' and heatinsulating member for establishing communication between said chamberand the outside atmosphere, and a cap member concealing said closure andsealing said vent and Wick from the atmosphere. 2. A liquid burninglight as claimed in claim 1 in which the closure is of smaller diameterthan the engaged portion of the casing to provide an annularlshoulderexternally of the closure when in the mounted position, and the capmember is contoured to rest on the shoulder with its sides flush withthe adjacent side walls of the casing.

3. A liquid burning light comprising a casing having a chamber thereinfor receiving the burnable fluid, an apertured closure operativelyengaging said casing for sealing said chamber, said casing and closurebeing formed of rigid material impervious to the burnable fluid andshaped to simulate a candle-like structure, a wick extending throughsaid aperture and into said chamber, 'a heat insulating member rigidwith said closure and separating said wick from said closure, alignedopenings through said closure and heat insulating member forestablishing communica-- tion between said chamber and the outsideatmosphere, and a cap member concealing said closure and sealing saidvent and wick from the atmosphere.

HARRY C. ARCHAMBEAUQ REFERENCES CITED file of this patent: H

UNITED STATES PATENTS I Date The following references are of record inthe I Germany June 20, 1908

